James is Red
by Raphianna
Summary: *Requested/gift story* Revised version of the episode 'Rosie is Red' with an (obviously) different character and different outcomes :) request and cover both made by my friend on Tumblr, SugoiJemusu


**James is Red**

**A.N. This is a gift, to my friend, SugoiJemusu who I met on Tumblr :D they, like me, also ship James and Thomas and wanted a revised version of 'Rosie is Red' to instead include James and Thomas, rather than Rosie and they do get together at the end :)**

**They also created the cover for this story- credit goes to them for that :) I just added the author (me) and who made it (SugoiJemusu) in red words below the title**

**This fic will include some of my main pairings, such as James/Thomas, and mentioned Henry/Edward, Toby/Percy, and Connor/Gordon (don't like, please don't read)**

…

Percy flinched as mail bags fell from his cars and two workers tumbled to the ground. He was going to ask if they were alright, until he heard a whistle.

"Hi Edward." He smiled. "There seems to be more mail than usual tonight. A lot more."

"That's because tomorrow is Valentine's Day." Edward smiled cheerily.

"Valentine's Day? What's that?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's when people send card or flowers, or give gifts to the ones they love." Edward explained. "To show they care." He smiled.

Percy blinked in confusion. "But… I think it's a bit silly to do it all one day." He said, watching a man run past him frantically with a rose. "People should show they care all the time. Like how Henry does for you and you for him." He smiled.

Edward laughed. "Quite right, Percy." He smiled. "The same goes for you and Toby, hm?"

Percy nodded. "Yes!" Then the stationmaster blew his whistle, and with some difficulty, Percy heaved off with the mail trucks.

…

The next day, early in the morning, James was down at the docks, pushing flatbeds of crates before his regularly scheduled job of pulling coaches. He didn't much like the idea, but this time, he figured it'd be easier to just not complain and get the work done.

Thomas puffed in just a few seconds later, pulling empty freight cars and unfortunately, neither of them noticed Diesel behind James. He moved quicker and rammed into the red tender engine roughly and blew his horn, causing him to involuntarily go forwards, just as Cranky was lowering a crate of roses.

"Oh no!" James gasped as he heard a breaking thud.

Cranky let go just as James was pushed forwards, and the flowers fell and crashed to the ground. The crate broke and the flowers flew everywhere, though thankfully stayed around the area.

"James!" Cranky huffed condescendingly, turning to face him. "What are you doing?!"

Thomas spat out a rose he caught between his teeth. "It wasn't James' fault!" He said quickly in his friend's defense. "Diesel shunted him!"

"Oh ho, is that right Thomas?" Diesel smirked, moving forwards just as Bill and Ben's whistles were heard. "Or are you just sticking up for James because he's your _favourite_?" He laughed.

"No!" Thomas said quickly.

"Thomas is sticking up for me because he's my friend." James huffed with a frown on his face.

"Ooh! Thomas is your special friend!" Bill teased with a giggle.

"Special friend!" Ben chanted with Bill joining in. "Special friend!"

"Thomas and James, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" The twins teased, before laughing loudly.

Thomas and James both had huge blushes on their faces, though both were majorly confused. "Engines can't be in trees…" James mumbled.

"You're a silly lot of engines!" Thomas huffed as he blew his whistle and left, pouting.

"K-I-S-S…" Diesel sounded out slowly. "Oh! Kissing!" And he burst out laughing. "I get it!"

"Shush it Diesel!" James huffed as he steamed away, shunting his flatbeds.

…

A few hours later, Thomas was at the washdown in front of Percy and Henrietta, getting hosed down with water when James steamed in, pulling his empty coaches.

"Hey Thomas!" James greeted with a smile on his face. "I just wanted to say, thank for sticking up for me down at the docks." He said happily.

"Wha- d-d-did I stick up for you?" Thomas asked nervously, moving up and down the track he was on a bit, not noticing how the workers who were cleaning him were being jostled around and bonked in the head. "Haha, I don't think so! Th-That's not what happened…"

The smile had fallen from James' face. "What?" He asked sadly and in slight disbelief as he looked away. "But I…"

"Look at James everyone!" Thomas laughed tensely. "He thinks something happened! When it didn't! Hahahahaha! Silly James." He said quickly before blowing his whistle and rushing off.

A worker who was cleaning Thomas stumbled on the latter that was no longer being held up by anything and fell, only to be caught by another worker bridal style.

"Thomas!" Henrietta called out in a scolding tone. "That's not very nice!"

James looked ahead, mouth agape as he watched Thomas leave. _Maybe… he doesn't like me… that way…_

…

Thomas sat idly at Knapford station with Annie and Clarabel when Sir Topham Hatt's car rolled up to him.

"Thomas!" His controller greeted, causing the tank engine to yell in shock as he rolled his window down. "I need you to go to Ulfstead Castle and collect some very important passengers. You're to take them to Vicarstown, where you'll meet James."

"What?! James?!" Thomas asked in shocked. "No, I don't want to…" But he stopped himself. "Disappoint you, Sir!" He said after a moment with a forced smile. "That's, not a problem." He said softly.

Sir Topham Hatt nodded and sped off. A few minutes later, he arrived next to James. "James!" Like Thomas before him, the red tender engine cried out in surprise. "It's very important that you take those cars to Vicarstown," He said, gesturing near his car. "Where you'll meet Thomas."

"Thomas?!" James gasped. "No!" But he flinched. "I mean… I'll get right on it, Sir." He said hesitantly, blowing his whistle and reversing.

…

"Come on! Come on!" James said desperately, wanting to be coupled to his cars faster.

"What's the hurry, James?" Edward asked from another track.

"I don't want to bump into Thomas." James huffed angrily. "He was so rude to me this morning!"

Edward was taken aback by James' statement indeed. He never thought his little brother would be deliberately rude to someone. "Thomas was rude to you?" He asked. "That is odd. I thought he said he really liked you."

James blushed. "N-No! He doesn't! Well, I mean, maybe as a friend but… he made it clear he doesn't like me that way…"

Edward blinked. "Do you like him, in a romantic sense?"

James bit his lip. "I… I do. But I know Thomas doesn't. Especially when both of us were teased this morning at the docks. And with how he spoke to me at the washdown…"

Edward chuckled. "Oh James. I'm sure that was a miscommunication. It might still not be my words to say, but Thomas has come to me, saying he does like you. But he's worried on how to approach you. And if all these other engines are teasing both of you, it probably doesn't make matters any easier. Maybe you should talk with him, hm?"

James sighed. "… Yes… I think we're both at fault here. Thanks Edward." He smiled, steaming off.

…

Thomas quietly moved down the tracks to Vicarstown, a blank expression on his face. He was so zoned out, that he didn't notice his older brother, Gordon, coming up next to him.

"Hello slow little tank engine!" Gordon smirked. "You'll be pleased to know James is coming along right behind me!" He laughed.

But before he could move, Thomas glared and snapped at him. "Quit calling me slow and little." He grumbled, causing Gordon to sputter in surprise. "We talked about this; you said you'd stop. Besides, aren't you supposed to be heading to Ulfstead to see Connor, hm?"

Gordon stammered in shock, his cheeks turning red. His eyes lowered to the ground and he muttered an apology before speeding off.

When he did however, Thomas' eyes widened in realisation. "Wait… James…?!"

Thankfully, the track direction changed, and Thomas went into a small bend.

"Thomas? What are you doing?" Annie asked.

"Sir Topham Hatt is waiting for us at Vicarstown." Clarabel said worriedly just as Thomas stopped behind Toby and Henrietta.

"I don't wanna see James." Thomas huffed, as James went passed them, looking albeit confused.

"What's gotten into you, Thomas?" Toby asked after James went passed them.

"First you were rude to James and now you're avoiding him?" Henrietta asked curiously.

"Oh Thomas. Were you rude to James?" Annie asked softly.

"What's going on with you two?" Clarabel questioned her young friend.

"Nothing is going on! But some of the other engines think there is!" Thomas said desperately.

"You ought not to worry about other engines think." Henrietta said softly.

"I know that, but… the thing is, I do want something going on between me and James…" Thomas said after a moment, looking away.

"What do you mean?" Toby asked.

"I want the type of relationship that Henry has with Edward, or you have with Percy, or Connor with Gordon. I want to be with James." Thomas mumbled sheepishly. "But Diesel and other engines are making me nervous- teasing me and even James a bit. I wanted it to mean something when I asked James, but now it seems like, soon, everyone will know about my crush on him, and it'll be… worthless."

"It seems like there's a misunderstanding then between you two." Henrietta said. "Thomas, forget the other engines. What you want to do is talk this out with James. Don't you think?"

…

"Oh dear… oh… um…" Sir Topham Hatt mumbled worriedly as he paced around the platform of Vicarstown station, holding his hat. A few moments later, James' whistle was heard. "Ah, James!" He said in relief, turning to face the red tender engine. "Could you please turn around and come in the other side? Now, where is Thomas?"

Not a few seconds later, Thomas' whistle was heard as he came into the station.

"Ah, thank goodness!" Sir Topham Hatt said happily. "Now I just need–"

"Topham!" Came Lady Hatt's voice as she climbed the platform stairs.

Sir Topham Hatt turned around and smiled. "Ah! My good Lady Hatt!" He smiled, walking up to his wife.

Thomas stared at them curiously. But he froze as he heard James' whistle. Looking ahead of him, said tender engine steamed up in front of him, looking just as shocked as he braked about a foot away from him.

"Uh, um… h-hi James…" Thomas said awkwardly, his cheeks turning pink.

"Thomas." James said, staring at him.

Thomas sighed deeply. "I'm sorry I was rude to you, James… I really didn't mean to be. I–"

But he was cut off by the sound of violins. He looked next to him and saw four people being pulled past him on a moving board. Three were playing violins and one was playing a bass.

Sir Topham Hatt took Lady Hatt by the hand and led her near the performers before getting down on one knee. He cleared his throat and took off his hat, and grabbed a single rose from inside of it, giving it to his wife. "James is red, Thomas is blue," He recited, pointing to each engine respectfully. "And my darling Lady Hatt," He reached for the carrier next to him and opened the latch, revealing a grey tabby cat. "I love you."

Lady Hatt gasped happily and gently took the feline from the carrier. "Oh! Hello pretty thing!" She smiled, hugging the cat close. "Thank you, Topham." She said happily before looking over to where her husband was gesturing.

Inside the cars James brought were tons of red and blue flowers, and inside Thomas' coaches, lined on the inside of Annie and Clarabel's windows were red and blue lanterns.

"So this was Sir Topham Hatt's plan!" James smiled.

"And I nearly spoiled it." Thomas giggled.

"So did I…" James said sheepishly.

Both James and Thomas laughed softly. As the performers, Sir Topham Hatt, and Lady Hatt stepped away to talk, Thomas looked back to James.

"James, I… I'm really sorry about how mean I was to you earlier." Thomas sighed. "It's just… all those other engines, Bill, Ben, Gordon, even Diesel… they teased me. Saying things about you and I…"

"I know, Thomas." James said softly. "I was there for most of it. I see now why you were so quick to get away from me… but…" He trailed off as he looked away. "But I…"

"James? What's wrong?" Thomas asked worriedly, his firebox melting a little- metaphorically speaking, of course.

"Well… I… I like you Thomas. I mean, like you, like you." Mumbled the red engine, his cheeks becoming a soft cherry red, quite similar to his paintwork. "I wanted to tell you- today, in fact." He tried a little smile at Thomas' confused expression, only for it to fade away. "Only, you made it pretty clear you don't like me- in a romantic sense."

Thomas felt a mixture of realisation, relief and horror stir in his smokebox- he was glad James did like him, after all; but he realised now that, due to his determination to find the perfect moment to tell James he liked him- no, loved him- he had inadvertently pushed the one he loved away.

"James?"

"Hm?"

"Listen, I… I know I apologised to you already, but… I want to say I'm sorry again- for what I did to you at the washdown. I didn't mean for things to happen the way they did. I just…"

He gulped, deciding that now was better than never.

"I do like you- no, scratch that. James, I love you."

James looked at Thomas, blinking in surprise.

"You… you do?"

"Yes…" Now it was Thomas' turn to blush. "I really do love you, James. So, so much. I can't accurately describe how I feel in any more than three words, and those three words alone. I did mean to stick up for you at the Docks. But… but all the teasing made me nervous about telling you how I felt, and I panicked… and…" Thomas groaned in embarrassment.

"I panicked and started trying to convince everyone that nothing was going on, that we were just close friends…. But I did it all wrong and I hurt your feelings! I made you think I didn't love you… how could I do that to you?" He finally looked away from the engine in front of him.

James was shocked at Thomas' heartfelt apology.

However, he knew exactly what to say. He waited until Thomas looked at him again and he spoke up.

"Thomas, hey," He said softly. "Everyone makes mistakes. I know that it's cliché," He admitted with a cheeky grin, which made Thomas' firebox flutter despite the awkward circumstances. "But you… I know you didn't mean to hurt me. It did hurt at the washdown, and I felt down about it, but Edward told me that you did like me. And later, when I thought more about what happened, I… I had an epiphany. I realised that, between you sticking up for me at the docks, and what Edward told me, you really did care about me."

"Of course I do, James." Thomas said. "I'd always stick up for you, no matter what. I love you."

"I love you too, Thomas." James replied, his blush returning again; but this time, from pure joy. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day, James."

The pair looked at each other, smiling in blissful content, lost in their own world; or rather, the world that sparkled and shone in each other's eyes.

James, in particular, could see a bright, sapphire blue light in Thomas' eyes, sparkling like the waters of Black Loch on a beautiful sunny day.


End file.
